This Week in Crusader Soccer: Valparaiso plays host to Youngstown State on Wednesday afternoon in the first round of the 2008 Horizon League Soccer Championships presented by U.S. Army at Eastgate Field. This match will mark the first home postseason contest in the history of the Crusader women’s soccer program.

On the Air: Wednesday’s match against Youngstown State will be carried live on WVUR (95.1-FM, Valparaiso) and online at www.valpoathletics.com. Adam Amin and Adam Tein will call all of the action. In addition, live stats will be available via gametracker through the Valpo website at www.valpoathletics.com.

Head Coach John Marovich: John Marovich is 10-6-2 in his first season overall and with Valpo after serving as an assistant for six years. Just the third coach in program history, he has moved into second place all-time in victories for the Crusaders.

Series Notes: Valparaiso holds a 7-0 all-time advantage against the Penguins dating back to 1999. The Crusaders have won all four previous meetings at Eastgate Field. Valpo won this year’s regular season meeting between the two schools 2-1 on October 3 as Jackie Thomas scored the match-winner with just 1:18 remaining in regulation.

Wrapping Up Last Week’s Action: Valparaiso and Green Bay played 110 minutes of scoreless soccer on Friday evening in Green Bay, Wis. Mele Cabral made four saves for the Crusaders in the double-overtime draw. Sunday in the regular season finale, Sarah Jewell scored for the Crusaders midway through the first half to cut Milwaukee’s lead in half, but the Panthers held on for a 3-1 win in Milwaukee, Wis.

Scouting Youngstown State: The Penguins dropped three straight matches to wrap up the regular season following a 6-1 loss at Loyola on Sunday and a 2-1 defeat at Cleveland State last Friday. Lauren Brennan, Jodi Bowlen, and Carrie Wack lead the Youngstown State offense with four goals each, with Brennan and Bowlen having a team-high 11 points. Alex Lead leads the team with five assists while Mariah Snyder has posted a 1.51 goals against average and an .834 save percentage in goal.

Valpo in the Horizon League Championships: This is Valpo’s second season competing in the Horizon League Tournament, and the Crusaders are looking for their first victory. Last year, the Crusaders entered as the fifth seed and dropped a 2-0 decision to fourth-seeded Butler in Indianapolis, Ind. in the quarterfinals.

Crusaders Look to Continue Success at Home: Valparaiso has posted a 7-2 at home this season, tying a school record for home victories in a season with the 2005 and 2007 teams. One win this year came at Brown Field, so a victory over Youngstown State would tie a Crusader record for triumphs at Eastgate Field as well.

Brown Second All-Time in Assists and Points: Kendall Brown moved into second place all alone on Valpo’s all-time assist list with her 12th career helper against Milwaukee. The senior is just one assist shy of Lindsay Holley’s (2001-2004) school record of 13. Brown also has tied Emily King (2002-2005) for second all-time in a Crusader uniform with 52 career points. Her 20 career goals also rank her third in that statistical category as well.

Thomas a Mainstay in the Lineup: Jackie Thomas enters the tournament having started all 75 matches that the Crusaders have played during her Valpo career. She is tied for sixth all-time at Valpo for most career starts. Her 75 matches played are tied for ninth in school history, and with an appearance against Youngstown State she will move into a tie for seventh.

Scoring First Key to Valpo’s Success: Valpo is 9-1 this season when scoring the first goal of the match, but just 1-5 when surrendering the opening goal.

Cabral Sets Single Season Shutout Record: Mele Cabral added to the school’s single season shutout record with her ninth clean sheet of the season against Green Bay. The nine shutouts as a team have set a new school mark for a Valpo team as well. Cabral’s 11 career shutouts rank second all-time in Valpo history.

Brown Seventh on Single Season Shots Chart: Kendall Brown has a team-leading 55 shot attempts this season, ranking seventh in school history for a single campaign. She needs one more shot to move into sixth and three more to move up to fifth place. With six more shots she will climb all the way to fourth on the single season list. Brown also set the school record with 81 shots in 2005.
Cabral Has School’s Lowest Single Season GAA: Mele Cabral is on pace to set the school’s single season goals against record. She currently stands at 0.75 while Erin Murray set the school mark in 2006 at 0.87.